


Cloudy with a Chance of Raspberries

by SupremeD9



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Romance, Shyness, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:20:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupremeD9/pseuds/SupremeD9
Summary: The outgoing and lively Jessie Raspberry, member of Avalanche, has invited over Cloud Strife, exSOLDIER, to a night of pizza. Though Cloud doesn't admit, he's looking forward to it, and the both of them will get much more out of it then they think.
Relationships: Jessie & Cloud Strife, Jessie/Cloud Strife
Comments: 20
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

"Well, if it isn't Cloud Strife! Was wondering when you'd show up," says Jessie, eyes lighting up upon taking sight of the exSOLDIER. 

"Without further ado... Here you are." 

Jessie hands out a green, barrier materia over to Cloud. Not wanting to keep a direct, eye-to-eye look at Jessie, he accepts his payment for the little mission they just had. Putting the materia into one of his right side pockets, the stoic mercenary feels the growing need to go back to his apartment. 

"Thanks for stepping up, 'merc.' And now for the cherry on top." 

In a split second, Jessie lunges at Cloud for a hug, wrapping both of her slender arms around his neck. She feels Cloud's body tense up, and she rather enjoys the feeling of his pectorals hardening from the close contact. 

"Okay, I get it. Mind letting me breathe?" Cloud huffs, feeling a blush creep up onto his face. Majority of the time, the ex merc’s stoic and cold personality keeps most people at bay. But for some reason, this girl just kept trying her damned best to get close to him. 

_ What’s this girl’s deal?  _ Cloud thought to himself. 

“Depends. Mind coming over tomorrow night? My roommates should all be out for a while.” 

Jessie begins wondering to herself if perhaps she had been a little too forward with the way she told him that, but the man with baby blues was in her grasp, and she wouldn’t be letting this opportunity go to waste. 

“Are you seriously that desperate? Just let go already.” 

Cloud was growing more tense and nervous by the second. While very good at controlling himself and putting up a cool, cold front, he simply doesn’t know how to deal with women that come onto him. Especially now, when this VERY straight forward and persistent female member of Avalanche relentlessly made flirtatious advances. As experienced as he was on the battlefield, dealing with never ending flirts of Jessie was a pothole in the road for him. He simply didn’t know what to do, except try looking away in awkward silence. 

Not wasting a single moment, Jessie looks Cloud right in the eyes as he motions for her to move off of him, hands placed on his shoulders. 

“Only if you promise to come back tomorrow night. Deal?” 

As Jessie maintains her line of sight on Cloud’s mako colored eyes, he looks to the side and ponders her request. He begins thinking about that small kiss on the cheek he got while driving the motorcycle and how she’d pressed her warm face onto his back. 

_ What do I tell her? I guess getting free pizza will save me the trouble of spending my gil. Yeah, that’s it. I just want to save some gil.  _

“No promises, but I’ll think it over.” 

Face lighting up as if she just hit the jackpot, Jessie jumps back in surprise, startling Cloud a bit. 

“Really?! You will?! I make a mean pizza, I’ll have you know! Marche, luche, black milly, red shelly - I use only the best ingredients! Sound good?” 

Jessie watches Cloud as he lets out a sigh and looks to the side. 

“Never heard of any of that stuff,” Cloud weakly admits. 

The lively brunette is doing all she can to hold back just how excited she truly is having gotten him to agree to a night of pizza. Clasping her hands together, she decides to see if she can make the spiky haired man blush any further. 

“Awww, you are so adorable, you know that!? You just leave everything to me, it’ll be great!” 

_ He’s so cute when he’s shy. I hope I don’t scare him off. Need to ease the tension somehow,  _ Jessie thought to herself. 

“Nighty night!” 

Jessie slinks into her house, closing the door behind her. Cloud stands there for a moment, before looking off into the direction of Seventh Heaven. 

_ Wait, did I just agree to go on a date?  _ Cloud thought to himself for a second. His thoughts are interrupted momentarily, as Jessie opens her door a final time, poking her head out. 

“Psych!” 

Sighing, Cloud walks back to his small apartment room. Scratching the back of his head on the way there, he found himself unable to stop himself from thinking about the kiss he got during the motorcycle ride. What exactly are her motives? Why is she being so forward with him? Are they all games, like Wedge had mentioned to him? 

Pondering as he walked, buster sword hooked to his back, Cloud made his way up the stairs to his small apartment. As one of his gloved hands grabbed the door knob and began turning it, he took one final look at the direction Jessie’s home stood, still befuddled by the girl. 

Rather quickly, a wave of sleepiness began washing over the mercenary, and without a moment’s hesitation, made his way to his bed. Placing his sword against the wall, he slumped down onto his bed and fell asleep in a matter of seconds. 

\-------------

Jessie, still with her back against the door even though it’s already been ten minutes since soldier boy left, couldn’t make the smile leave her face. Skipping around her home, she starts thinking out loud and could barely contain her excitement.

“I can’t believe he’s actually coming! Wait, no, Jessie, don’t jump to conclusions, he said ‘no promises’, it’s still a bit up in the air. But maybe he does actually come…” 

The excited brunette began humming a tune as she waltzed to her room, undressing herself for a shower. Placing her armor pieces on a mannequin-like rack, pulling off her short sleeved, skin fit turtle neck in one swift motion, and tossing her green, calf length khakis to the side, she made her way into the shower. 

_ I better make sure I get everything ready for tomorrow night. He’s so adorable when he’s being awkward, but I don’t want to scare him off and come onto him too fast,  _ Jessie thought deeply to herself in the shower. 

After humming a tune for twenty minutes in the hot, steamy shower, Jessie shuts off the water and reaches for her red colored towel. Drying herself off, she slips on her robe, studded with tiny chocobo heads all over. 

“Hm, let me check if I even have all of the ingredients I mentioned.”, Jessie thought out loud. 

Walking to her kitchen, she kneeled down and started rummaging through the not so organized cabinet. The cabinet itself seemed to have been put together using pieces of other furniture, but it was good enough. Majority of the furniture down in the slums were mostly salvaged and repaired, after all. 

_ Let’s see… I have the luche… black milly… marche… red shelly? Damn, no red shelly.  _

Sighing in frustration, Jessie closes the cabinet and sits on the used, slightly torn up couch in the living room. Upon taking a careful look around the residence, she suddenly realizes just how messy it is. Random screws and wires here and there, tool boxes left on top of the furniture. It was a surprise that her roommates never questioned her on what she was using all of it for. Regardless, she decided she’d have to make sure everything gets tidied up by tomorrow night.

_ I don’t think he’d care if there were a mess or not, but I want to make a really good impression on him. Make him feel as at home as possible to make him open up some more. _

Too exhausted to do any kind of cleaning, she decided to call it a night. Tossing herself into her bed, she couldn’t get rid of the smile. As she fell deeper and deeper into sleep, Jessie couldn’t stop thinking of Cloud’s mako colored eyes. Every time she’d look right at him, she’d marvel at the way they glowed. But he never really allowed her to look into them for too long, for he’d quickly look away. 

_ I’ll be having those baby blues all to myself tomorrow,  _ she thought to herself, as she finally drifted off into deep sleep. 

\-------------

* BOOM * 

Cloud jumped out of his bed, jolted awake by a sudden hitting sound on his door. Sunlight shining onto his face, he looked around. A pair of children had walked below the balcony area. 

“We’re sorry mister, we were just playing some catch and the ball went too high!” 

“It’s fine,” said Cloud, rubbing the crust out of his eyes.

Heading back inside his small apartment room, he decided to take a short, refreshing shower to energize him. He began recollecting his memories from last night. 

_ “Only if you promise to come back tomorrow night. Deal?”  _

Cloud suddenly remembered he kind of agreed to Jessie’s request. A man of his word, he’d be keeping that half promise he made. 

_ Damn, what time was I supposed to get there again? 7 tonight?  _

Stepping out of the shower and drying himself off, Cloud took a good look in the mirror, thinking about what he’d agreed to for tonight. 

“Just a night of pizza. That’s all, nothing more.” 

However, the mako eyed merc had begun to notice he was actually looking forward to the night of pizza, yet he couldn’t discern exactly why. Despite only knowing such a lively woman for a couple days, he found himself growing used to her outgoingness and vibrant personality. That kiss he got on the cheek the night before was doing him any favors in resisting these thoughts, either. Never having felt this way about a girl before, he began to grow slightly anxious about heading over later. 

_ I’ve never done this kind of thing before.  _ Cloud thought as he began putting his uniform and garments back on.

Deciding to occupy himself with something to kill some time, he headed down to Seventh Heaven to ask Tifa about any small jobs he could take care of. 

Walking through the doorway, he made his way to the front and sat in the middle barstool. Tifa noticed him there, and came walking out to greet him. 

“Morning Cloud, you get some rest last night?” 

Cloud, snapping out of a daze from looking at the assortment of wine bottles lined up against the wall, greeted her back. 

“Morning Tif’, yeah I got some decent shut eye.”

Content with his answer, Tifa brought him a glass. 

“What’ll it be?”, she told him as she was already scanning her collection of beverages. 

“I think I’ll just have some water, thanks.” 

Taking a drink from the short glass, Cloud held it in place and began moving it around in circles, almost forgetting what he’d even come down there for. 

“Any small jobs I can get today that you know of? Trying to kill some time,” he says as he finishes up what remained of his water. 

“Hmmm, none for today actually. Sorry about that. Oh! Forgot to tell you, but you just missed Jessie a couple minutes ago.”

The wine glass nearly fell out of his hand from the mention of Jessie’s name, and Cloud was hoping, with every fiber of his being, that she hadn’t gone around and started telling everyone they were going to have a night of pizza. Gulping slightly, Cloud let out a small and quiet sigh. Tifa, hiding a giggle, covered her mouth with her hand. 

“And it sounds like someone’s got a date tonight…” 

Caught like deer in the headlights, Cloud blushed furiously as he nearly fumbled the glass out of his leather gloved hand. 

_ Oh no,  _ the bashful ex merc thought. 

“Oh yeah. Well, look, listen, so I just half promised… yeah I don’t want to spend gil, I need to save. So free. Pizza, free pizza.” Cloud all but failed to shroud his stuttering, face as red as a summon materia. Even he was confused on why he was struggling to talk properly. The stoic persona he fronted daily was in shambles.

_ Why the hell am I talking like this. Am I… excited? Is it something else?  _

“You alright Cloud?”, Tifa asked, a tone of concern in her voice. 

“Yeah, yeah I am. Well I actually just remembered I need to deliver something for someone. See you around,” Cloud said, recomposing his cool and tough guy persona once again. Getting up, he heads to the door and waves at Tifa before exiting. Tifa watched as he left with a confused look on her face. 

“Huh… never seen him like that.”

Cloud, exiting Seventh Heaven, walked in an aimless direction, composing his thoughts. 

_ It’s just a night of pizza, Cloud. Get it together. She’s just a partner that you went on a mission with and got paid with in full. That is all.  _

Finally, he decided to just kill some time by going on patrol, making sure no monsters had crept into the slums. 

\-------------

“Crap, I don’t think I’m going to have enough time to tidy everything up if I go out and buy red shelly…”

Jessie paced around the living room for a minute, contemplating how she’d get both done before seven tonight. Tool boxes and gadgets littered all around the residence, it’d be a chore in of itself to even gather them into a single spot. 

_ If only I could ask someone go get it-  _

* KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK * 

Startled out of her pondering, Jessie made her way to open the door. 

“Coming!”

Opening the door, there stood Wedge, with a look of embarrassed panic, holding his lower stomach and jumping up and down constantly. It was almost as if he was on the verge of having a minor accident in his pants. 

“HEY JESS NEED TO USE YOUR BATHROOM REALLY QUICK SORRY I GOTTA GO,” exclaimed Wedge as he ran past Jessie at speeds she rarely saw him move in. Perturbed by the sudden visit, she went back to moving the metal mess around the living room. That’s when it came to her. 

_ I’ll just send Wedge to go get me some red shelly!  _

About ten minutes later, Wedge stepped out of the bathroom, signing in relief and rubbing his stomach. Looked like he had just won the biggest and most intense battle of his life. With the toilet, that is. 

Jessie, arms crossed and head tilted, eyebrows titled, looked at Wedge and began smacking her teeth. 

“Tsk tsk tsk, well that was one hell of a visit, Wedge. Why yes, my day is going great, how about yours?”, she chimed sarcastically. 

“Oh jeez sorry about that Jess, I’d just been in the area and just out of nowhere, I needed to go… are you cleaning?” 

Nearly having forgotten that she only had about three hours left to get the rest of the house cleaned up, she decided now would be the golden opportunity to send Wedge off to buy some red shelly. 

“Sure am. Say, think you could go buy me some red shelly? I have to make sure all of this is clean and presentable by seven, and I don’t think I’ll have enough time to go buy red shelly after.” 

“Yeah sure thing, I’ll be right back, in about an hour!”, said Wedge, but stopped himself before he could leave. 

“Huh, cleaning, wanting me to go get some red shelly… you having a date or something?”

Blushing slightly, Jessie shyly responded. 

“Yeah actually… Cloud’s coming for some pizza tonight!” 

“WOAH, you actually got my bro to agree to that?! Is he being paid for it?”

“Not paying at all,” Jessie said as she rolled her eyes. “Anyways, I really need that red shelly at least an hour before seven so the pizzas can be ready on time. I’ll let you take a few slices home if you go now!” 

“Say no more, Jess!”, and with that, Wedge took his leave almost as soon as he came. 

\-------------

After about an hour or so of organizing several chunks and boxes consisting of screws, wires, duct tape, and tools, she’d finally finished organizing her home. Finally in a presentable and more hospitable looking state, it was time to wash off the grease, sweat, and dirt marks that came along with the prolonged cleaning session. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wide, the time said  _ 5:50.  _

_ Better shower quick, Wedge might be dropping off the red shelly any time now and I need to make sure those pizzas are ready by 7.  _

Undressing in seconds, Jessie jumped into the shower. She made sure to apply a rich, raspberry scented hair conditioner for tonight. Having picked it up from the slums a while back, this was actually the first time she’d used it in a long time. 

“Wonder if soldier boy will notice,” Jessie thought out loud as she showered. 

After exiting the shower, she quickly threw on her outfit. A sleeveless, semi-skin tight black turtleneck which gave some degree of pronunciation on her chest which was usually concealed by her chest plate. Dark beige, khaki pants which tapered halfway down at the calves. Fuzzy socks meant to keep the feet warm and insulated, though she didn’t wear any shoes or slippers since she’d just be indoors. 

Taking a look at her reflecting in the mirror, Jessie giggled in delight as her outfit came out just the way she’d thought it would. To add finishing touches, she’d tied her headband around her forehead as she always does and placed her hair in the same, classic ponytail. 

* Knock knock *

“Must be Wedge, took him long enough,” she said to herself. 

Opening the door, there stood Wedge, red shelly in hand. 

“Jeez, what took you so long Wedge? It’s already 6:05!”

“Sorry about that Jessie, got a little preoccupied at the market. Someone was handing out free samples, and I couldn’t leave that place on an empty stomach, so I tried all of them!”

Pressing her two fingers on his forehead and flicking them, she grabbed the red shelly and let him inside. 

“Ow, hey said I was sorry!”, Wedge retorted as his right eye winced and scratched the area where she’d flicked him. 

“Apology accepted, well now you get to be a taste tester for the pizzas I’m about to make!”

His round, pudgy face lighting right back up with joy, Wedge eagerly made his way to the kitchen to watch Jessie prepare the pizzas. 

“Wow, you really cleaned up the place. Guess you’re really trying to impress my bro Cloud!” 

Jessie looked back at Wedge from the kitchen counter, content that the house actually looked cleaner than she thought it did. 

“Sure did, Wedge. You know, I really didn’t think I’d be able to get him to come tonight, but somehow I did. Well, he half promised, but I know he’ll come,” commented Jessie, as she flattened out the pizza dough. “And since you did the honors of buying the red shelly for me, one of these pizzas will be for you to take home!”

“Thanks Jess! I’ll probably even eat the whole thing on my way home,” Wedge responded while rubbing his stomach. His appetite was never satiated, especially when it came to homemade pizza. 

“Cloud’s gonna love it. Mom’s Midgar Special recipe never fails to impress, and tonight, it’ll be served by yours truly Jessie Raspberry!”, she said as she posed dramatically towards the ceiling, as if she were performing in front of an audience. 

Glancing at the clock, the time was  _ 6:15.  _ Having already applied all of the ingredients to the pizzas, she placed both into the oven, and cranked up the heat. In about 40 minutes, they’d be ready and fresh out of the oven to serve. Resting her hands on her hips, Jessie sighed in approval. 

“Hey Jessie, you think Cloud thinks you’re messing around with him? He’s kind of a hard guy, he doesn’t even like when I call him bro.”

Jessie pondered this for a bit. Although she had made very forward and repeated efforts to flirt with him, he was a pretty unresponsive and stone faced guy. He showed hints of emotion here and there, but hid them away the moment anyone took notice. 

_ I’ll have to get him to open up some more somehow… don’t want to scare him off either.  _

“Hmmm, well, I’ll figure it out!”, Jessie responded. 

“Really awesome guy, he swings that sword around like paper! By the way, just a few minutes till 40.” 

And just a few minutes later, the oven had finished heating the pizzas. 

_ * Ding! * _

The clock now read  _ 6:55,  _ Cloud would be there any minute now. Cutting Wedge’s pizza into slices and placing them in a plastic container, she handed it to him. 

“Here ya go! Thanks again for buying the red shely for me, Wedge. Enjoy the pizza!” 

“Sure thing Jess, thanks for the pizza and good luck with your bo- I mean Cloud!” 

Jessie laughed sarcastically, “what was that, mister?” Wedge had already speedily walked off. 

Sitting on her couch, the clock had finally struck  _ 7\.  _ Cloud will be arriving any minute now. But that’s when Jessie began getting a strange, fuzzy feeling in her stomach. It was finally dawning on her, that the quiet yet strong Cloud Strife would be coming to her house for pizza. A smile plastered itself to her face, as she began daydreaming what was about to go down. And not a minute later… 

_ * Knock knock knock knock *  _

Jumping out of her couch, Jessie went to the door in less than a second and swung the door open. 

There stood Cloud, looking off in another direction, redirecting his attention on her as she greeted him. 

“Well well well, look who came this evening, it’s none other than Cloud Strife!”, said Jessie in a joyous tone, as Cloud blushed slightly, right hand rubbing the back ends of his spiky hair. Now that he was actually here, Cloud began feeling a warm sensation in his core. 

“Hey. C-came for some pizza,” he responded, stuttering just a bit. 

_ Damn it Cloud why did you stutter this isn’t hard,  _ he thought to himself. 

“Awww don’t be so stiff, merc! Lighten up, not like we’re on a mission right now are we? Come in!”, pulling his arm into her home, feeling up his toned and muscular, sword brandishing arm. 

Eyes placed onto Cloud’s, he could feel her intense, brown eyes focused on him and decided to ease the not at all awkward silence. 

“Nice place. Really organized,” Cloud noted, taking in his surroundings. Much to his surprise, it was neat and clean, despite the gadgets and metal wirings he’d have expected to find all over the place, given Jessie’s responsibilities in Avalanche. 

“Wow, you really think so Cloud? Thanks, cleaned it up all just for you. Guess it was worth it, ‘cause my night’s made by just seeing those baby blues looking all over.”

This only causes Cloud to blush yet again, averting his gaze from her line of sight.

_ Cool it Jessie,  _ she internally reprimanded herself. 

“Well, uh, let me just put my sword somewhere against the wall. Don’t wanna bump it into your stuff,” Cloud said as he lightly shook his arm free from Jessie’s warm, smooth, and delicate hands. 

“Yeah sure thing Cloud, just make yourself right at home!” 

Taking hold of his massive sword, he placed it up against the wall, near a table close to the front door. Suddenly, perhaps it was because he was feeling as nervous as all hell, the handle fumbled from his fingers as he was resting it, and it started falling to the side. Knocking more things on the table to the floor each time he tried catching it, he finally snatched the handle in a solid, tight hold, and placed it against the wall. Firmly. His face was burning from embarrassment. 

“Oh sorry about that.. Just kind of slipped from my hands, don’t know what happened there.” 

Giggling, which then grew into a muffled laughter, Jessie took hold of his left hands with both of her hands and looked into his dreamy, mako colored eyes. 

“Something funny?”, huffed Cloud. 

“Huh, am I that pretty that you can’t keep your focus, soldier boy? That’s really sweet, thanks for the compliment,” she told him, winking at him. 

_ It’s so adorable when he gets like this, I can’t stop myself from teasing.  _

“Well, let me show you my kitchen. Let’s go take a seat in the kitchen and dig into some pizza! I know you’ll like it.”

Both walking over the kitchen, Cloud had taken a good look at Jessie while her back was turned. She seemed to be wearing a casual looking outfit, but he did admit to himself that her outfit pronounced physical features one wouldn’t really see while she had her armor on. Cloud himself always wore his battle uniform in case of sudden attacks. 

“Tada! Here’s my humble, but welcoming kitchen. Just take a seat right there while I get the pizza.” 

Taking a seat, Cloud sat there, and observed as Jessie brought the freshly made pizza to the table. The pleasant, delicious aroma of pizza toppings blasted his sense of smell, and he couldn’t help but feel his mouth salivate at the sight of the pizza. 

“Smells good, you make it all by yourself?”

“Sure did! It’s my mom’s secret recipe, the Midgar Special! Go on, grab a slice!” 

Just as he reached to grab a slice, Jessie reached out and held Cloud’s hand in place, hiding a giggle. 

“Don’t you think you should take off your glove before grabbing something you’re going to eat, mister exSOLIDER?” 

For a moment, but what felt like several seconds, Cloud and Jessie locked eyes with each other. Upon a closer look, Cloud noticed the shade of brown the lively brunette’s eyes were. A light brown, hazel almost, which glowed vibrantly when hit by a source of light. Her brown hair parted in the middle, her left bang larger than the right, held in place by a red headband. Admittedly, she was quite attractive. 

Jessie, taking a deep dive into Cloud’s blue, green tinted eyes, realized how intense they were. She felt as if she had been enclosed into warmth, and she didn’t feel like getting out. 

After two seconds, Jessie realized she had still been holding onto Cloud’s hand. 

“Oh, woops! Don’t know what happened, just kind of dozed off there, heheh.” 

Cloud, eyes darting in multiple directions, cleared his throat while scratching the back of his head. 

“It’s fine,” he said as he slid off one of his leather gloves. That’s when he finally took hold of the pizza and took a bite, as Jessie watched attentively to see if he liked it. His eyes lit up almost immediately, as a rich taste burst onto his taste buds. 

Jessie took notice of this, and could barely contain a squeal of joy.

“So, what’d you think? Taste good?”

Cloud, still chewing, responded, “This is… really… great, Jessie. I didn’t think it’d... taste this... good. Thank you.” 

“You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you like it Cloud. Thank you. See! I knew you weren’t just some cold, emotionless merc! You can smile!”, she said as she blushed upon view of the smile he’d given her. 

_ This might be the second time I’ve ever seen him smile, not since we were at Reactor 1. _

Cloud didn’t even notice that he’d been cracking a smile. His cool front had fallen momentarily, and he didn’t even realize it. He brought his face back to neutral quickly, as he felt a slight sense of shyness showing this kind of reaction to another girl. 

_ I didn’t even feel the smile come on, how long was it there for?  _

Jessie watched as Cloud wolfed down another slice of pizza, in just a few mere bites. She was slightly taken aback at how quickly he chomped it down, but she found it funny and innocent in a way. 

“Guess someone was hungry before they came, huh?” 

“Yeah you can say that,” he replied as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. 

Curious, she decided to ask Cloud a little bit about himself since he seemed to be in a more relaxed state by now. 

“For being an ex merc, you sure don’t look like you’ve been on a date before!”

_ Damn, did I word that the wrong way? Hope he doesn’t take it as an insult.  _

Caught off guard, Cloud looked off into the wall and sighed slightly. That was all she needed to know for an answer. 

“Uh… date?”

“Well what else do you think this is, silly! I got dressed up into a different outfit, I made some pizza for us, it’s a date!”

Cloud’s face began turning red, and he signed once more. 

“Hold on… am I your FIRST date? Reallyyy?”, Jessie asked in complete shock. 

_ I’m sure he’s been around to a lot of places as an exSOLIDER, but I’m actually his first date ever? That must mean… could I have given him his first kiss? _

“Well, yeah, I guess this is the first date I’ve been on,” Cloud admitted as he attempted hiding his growing blush. 

Jessie wouldn’t let this date go to waste, not at all. 

“Awwww, so you agreed to have your first date be with me then? All those other girls out there, and I’m the first one? I'm flattered Cloud, I really am!”, she told him in a teasing tone. On the inside though, it felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. 

Wanting to change the subject to avoid further blushing, Cloud decided to quickly change the subject. 

“Ahem, so how often do you visit your parents up on the plate?”

Jessie actually thought of this to herself for a moment. She never really went up there often, but she did very much enjoy visiting her parents. Although her mom was very much unaware of her involvement in Avalanche, she tended to avoid visiting too often out of fear of her growing suspicions, so she kept up the whole acting at the Gold Saucer facade. 

“Well, I usually go every once and awhile. Things can get a little busy down here.” 

At that moment, Jessie remembered Cloud had mentioned something about her father moments before they got to the parachuting area. Though Biggs and Wedge tried covering it up, she was aware Cloud mentioned “for your dad’s sake”, and she didn’t quite catch why he said that. It felt… out of character in a way. As if there was more to him than met the eye. Maybe that was what attracted her to him so much.

“Hey Cloud, I remember you mentioned something about my dad up on the plate.”

Cloud thought back, remembering that Jessie’s father was in a vegative state due to mako poisoning. He felt a sense of dread wash over him. Although he has very scattered memories of his past, he knew for a fact he never knew who his father was, or if he was even there in the first place. Nevertheless, he had some respect for Jessie for being able to keep it together despite all of the responsibility that falls on her being in Avalanche, yet having a father in a coma all at the same time. 

“Yeah, I did mention something, didn’t mean to offend though.” 

“Oh no no, it’s fine Cloud really.” 

The entire time, both Jessie and Cloud realized that their hands were actually touching in the middle of the table for the past several minutes. 

Cloud shyly withdrew his hand, and Jessie giggled. 

“Come on soldier boy, you don’t have to be so shy with me. I basically fed you pizza, I won’t bite! I promise!” 

_ I’m starting to make him feel a little more comfortable, I can feel it.  _

Cloud got up to wash his hands at the sink to ease some tension. As he got up, he couldn’t help but feel a warmth growing within himself. Perhaps it was the fact that he had been putting up a cool and calm persona upfront, that he couldn’t quite realize it himself that he’d begun to grow attracted to Jessie. 

_ Hmmm, maybe it’s time I try getting a little more up close and personal with him.  _

“Cloud, when you finish drying off your hands, come meet me in the living room.”

“Alright,” he responded. 

Making her way to the couch she usually sat in after unwinding from a long day, she sat there, waiting for Cloud. The couch was only meant for two people, making it perfect for her next plan. 

Cloud, drying his hands on the cloth near the sink, placed his gloves in his pocket, deciding to just keep them off for now. As he made his way to the living room, he took in a better look of his surroundings. A very warm looking house. Not too big, but not too small. It felt cozy and welcoming, just like any other home. 

Standing there, he just looked off into the ceiling. 

“Earth to Cloud, over here.” 

Cloud looked over at Jessie, as she motioned for him to come over to the couch. 

“Come take a seat with me, Cloud. I won’t attack, I promise… or will I?”, she said teasingly, with a wink. 

Without much of a choice, almost as if he wanted to subconsciously, Cloud took a seat next to her. His back was as stiff as ever, and he was facing forward, eyes darting to his right side where Jessie sat, rapidly. The scent of her hair conditioner filled his nostrils, and it was a pleasing aroma that he began to grow comfortable with, slowly but surely. 

“Need some help loosening up their, tough guy?”, she told him as she swung an arm around his neck, her face growing ever closer to his. 

“No, b-but thanks for asking,” Cloud responded with a stutter. While he refused to admit it, he began to realize that he indeed was liking how close Jessie was getting to him. 

“Aww don’t grow shy on me! If you didn't, why didn’t you take my arm off? Huh? Huh?”, she teased playfully while tugging at his neck. 

_ If he had left already, it would’ve meant I lost my chance. But he hasn’t even moved me off like he did last night!  _

“Well uh…,” Cloud didn’t know what to say at this point. He truly felt like he couldn’t think of a way to dodge her advances that he began to gradually enjoy. 

“You look really nice in that outfit today.”

_ Oh why did that slip out, did that really just come out of my mouth,  _ Cloud thought to himself, as now his heart began racing at speeds surpassing that of a motorcycle that just clocked into max speed. 

Slightly taken by surprise, Jessie blushed. She wasn’t expecting for Cloud to suddenly compliment her like that. This whole date, he’d been dodging and escaping her advances one way or another, but now…

“Th-thank you, Cloud. You’re so sweet! Guess that makes me really special to you if you could compliment me like that, I am your first day after all, huh?” 

Faces inching closer subconsciously, Cloud and Jessie were seeing each other eye to eye, face to face, mere inches away from each other. 

Cloud’s eyes began intensifying as he looked into Jessie’s eyes. It was almost as if he’d been communicating to her without saying an actual word. 

“I’m not that good at thi-”

Cloud was cut off, as Jessie dove in for a kiss. Not on the cheek, but on the lips. 

Gasping softly, the exSOLDEIR allowed it. Deep in his subconscious, he’d slowly been wanting this. Ever since that small kiss Jessie gave him on the motorcycle, it was deep within him. But he never truly realized it for sure, until it actually happened. 

Pulling his face closer to her’s Jessie was kissing Cloud slowly but passionately, enjoying every single second of it. Twiddling the back ends of his spiky hair in her small, slender fingers, she placed her right hand on his chest, right over his heart. She could feel it racing at hundreds of beats per second. 

Cloud, finally accepting it fully, wrapped his right arm around her and brought her closer to him. Her body was warm, as was his, and he could feel her slim yet tone body which her black shirt pronounced with justice. 

Both of their eyes, opening halfway as the kissing continued, looked deep into one another. Both of them wanted this, needed this, more than they could know. 

Jessie wanted to jump out of the couch, screaming in pure content as she finally cracked her soldier boy’s shell. As they continued kissing, she thought many things to herself. 

_ I DID IT. I just KNEW I’d be able to crack through. I KNEW there was more to it than just a cold tough guy.  _

After several minutes of burning, passionate kisses, Cloud slowly opened his eyes and met Jessie’s. 

“Look Jessie, I can ex-”

“Shhh, don’t worry about it, Cloud. You don’t have to say anything. I think I see now that you just don’t know how to talk about certain stuff. I understand. You don’t need to explain anything when you’re with me.” 

Grateful for her deduction, the both of them once again slowly closed their eyes as they moved in for another kiss. 

And after another several minutes of kissing, they regained their neutral sitting positions, except this time, Cloud was caressing and separating Jessie’s bangs from her forehead.

“You have nice hair, it’s a nice brown,” was all Cloud could muster to say, despite what just took place. 

“You sure do have a way with words, don’t you?”, Jessie teased. 

Cloud responded with a smile, a complete smile. Jessie felt as if she would melt right back into the Lifestream at that very moment. 

“I’m guessing I’m also the first to ever make you smile like that before too, merc?”

“Yeah, you are,” he responded with a blush. 

“Hey Cloud, I have a question... “ 

“What’s that?”

Jessie, once again growing close to Cloud’s face, asked him a lower tone: 

“Can you be my hero?” 

There was a moment of silence for about a second or two. Pondering whether he thought about if he’d feel open enough to slowly show Jessie who he truly was, he made his choice. Cloud brought in Jessie close, with the same hand he was using to caress her face and bangs. 

Cloud gave her an answer, but his answer was not composed of words, but was composed of another passionate kiss instead.

_ Yes, of course I will.  _


	2. Taking a Walk

After several minutes of passionate kissing, more passionate than the flames of Ifrit, Jessie and Cloud withdrew their lips from one another, panting slightly. Both looked into each other’s eyes, as if both were beginning to understand each other on a level deeper than they thought would be possible. 

“Jessie…-”

Cut off with an index finger to the lips, Jessie gently caressed his hair as she felt as if she could stay in this very moment for an eternity. 

“I’d take all those sweet kisses as a yes, soldier boy”, she responded in a slightly teasing way. 

For the first time in his life, the exSOLDIER felt that maybe for once, he’d finally be able to open up to someone. He’d suppressed almost, if not all, of his soft and sensitive side to the outside world. Keeping it deep within, even brushing it off internally ever since he came to know Jessie. But something about her was making him feel differently. 

“You know, I feel like I can open up with you somehow, Jessie… you’re the first to ever make me feel this kind of way. It’s completely new to me, so it scares me somewhat…”

Jessie, taken aback and caught off guard by hearing something like this out of the stone faced mercenary, took hold of his hand with both of her hands and held it close to her heart, looking deeply in his mako colored eyes. 

“You don’t have to feel like that, Cloud. You really don’t. I know you’re not talkative like me, so just take your time”, she said warmly.

Face and eyes usually cold and stern when out around others, had fallen to a softened, warmer state now. Cloud looked off to the side, blushing. 

_ So I guess that little incident I had at Seventh Heaven earlier wasn’t just all in my head. Maybe I… no, I know I feel like she’s different somehow. Something about her…  _

Cloud wouldn’t be looking to the side bashfully for long, as the brunette’s soft hand moved it right back to her line of sight. 

“Earth to Cloud, Earth to Cloud!”

Perhaps for the first time since trying her homemade pizza, Cloud smiled. A full smile. And it was enough to make Jessie blush as brightly as the red milly she had used as an ingredient. 

_ Another smile… except it’s even bigger than the last!  _

At a loss for words, she fell into a trance as she gazed into Cloud’s eyes. They were welcoming her, and she was accepting the invitation without a single ounce of hesitation. 

“Umm… Jessie?”

“... Oh, oh sorry about that, handsome! You’ve just got some, uh, really blue eyes, I mean green… both!” 

Blushing, Cloud scratched the back of his head. 

“Yeah, because of the mako. Anyone that joins soldier ges some mako in them, changes the color of their eyes.”

Jessie listened closely, and she had started to grow curious about Cloud’s experience in soldier. 

“And you were first class, right? No surprise there, especially since you swing that big hunk of steel around.”

Cloud, somewhat proud of his larger than average sword, took a good look at it. 

“So where did you get that sword, anyways?” Jessie didn’t realize what would happen after asking this question, when suddenly, Cloud held his left temple in pain. 

_ No, not this again.  _

“Hnghh… arghh..!” 

“CLOUD! Are you alright?! Talk to me, are you okay? Cloud? Cloud?!”

Jessie began panicking, as this had happened so unexpectedly. She stood up and had her right arm around his back, trying to get through to him amidst his panic attack. 

_ What did I just do? Why is he reacting like this to that question? What’s going on? _

Almost as soon as it started, Cloud snapped out of it, taking slow, deep breaths. Looking down at his hands, then at his blade. 

“Cloud I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“N… no Jessie, it’s fine. I don’t know what happened. I actually don't… remember where I got the sword from. Sorry.”

The brown eyed girl couldn’t help but feel guilty about causing Cloud to have reacted this way. Sitting right back next to him, Jessie placed her hands on his trembling hands, and drew his gaze towards her’s. 

“It’s alright, Cloud. You don’t have anything to apologize for. I shouldn’t have asked that and don’t worry about remembering it either.” 

Feeling an intense feeling of warmth and gratitude for her understanding, Cloud hugged her in response. That was the wordless response Jessie was content with. 

“Some of my memories are pretty hazy at times. Can’t really remember everything for some reason. Whenever I try to remember, this happens.” 

Jessie, her hands remaining on his shoulders as their hug seperated, felt a sense of relief that their night had not been ruined because of her question. 

_ I’m not sure what all that was about, I won’t try pressing him about it.  _

Desiring a change of subject, Cloud thought about asking Jessie about her father, whom was in a coma due to mako poisoning. 

“So your dad, how long has he been in the coma?”, he asked cautiously. 

Feeling a slight pang of sadness, Jessie looked off to the side for a second before giving an answer. 

“For a while now, about six months. Sorry you had to see that Cloud, but I couldn’t bring myself to see him like that again. That’s why I asked you to get his ID.”

For the first time, the exSOLDIER had seen Jessie actually look a little sad. It made him feel a little sad as well. Understanding her, Cloud ran his hand through her bangs once again. 

_ How does she remain so outgoing all the time, even when her own dad is in a coma and her mom isn’t aware of what she’s really up to, that she’s been putting her life at risk?  _

The mercenary began to come and respect Jessie for that. It was almost as if, just like him, she shields a good amount of her feelings and thoughts from the rest of the world.

“Uh, um, sorry if I brought up some bad memories”, Cloud shyly apologized. 

Jessie didn’t mind his question at all. She was actually enjoying every second of talking to Cloud and getting closer to him. She felt as if she had access to a place no one else has or ever had. It made her entire body feel fuzzy and warm. 

“Oh no, no worries, merc. You know, my parents are my biggest fans!” 

Cracking a small smile, Cloud took a look at the clock. 

_ 10:03 _

Jessie, also taking a gander at the clock, noticed that it was past ten already, meaning her roommates could come back any minute now. 

_ Oh, darn! They’ll all be back any minute now, and I don’t want them to get all nosy about soldier boy and I. At least not yet.  _

“Aw, damn it! My roommates will be here any second now! Didn’t even notice the time go by so fast, but can you blame me? I just can’t get enough of those baby blues of yours!” 

Blushing, Cloud got up from the couch and placed his gloves back on. 

“I’m guessing I’ll just start heading home now then.” 

Desiring for the night to have lasted longer, Jessie threw a playful punch at the exSOLDIER’s shoulder. She couldn’t help but giggle when she felt his body tense up for a split second. 

“Still as tense as stone, huh Cloud? Just like a soldier!” 

In a way, Cloud took pride in that. His skills as an exSOLDIER remained as sharp as ever. 

“Guess you can say that”, he replied with a slight smirk, hooking his sword onto the small hook holders on his back. 

Holding on his arm as they made their way to the door, Jessie couldn’t help but feel up his toned arm he used to swing around that hunk of steel. 

“Sorry you have to go now Cloud, but my roommates could get pretty nosy and gossipy, and I can tell you wouldn't like that.” 

Appreciating her understanding, he turned to her. 

“No problem, thanks for that. I really enjoyed our night, Jessie.”

Not wasting a single second, she jumped up to his face and gave Cloud a quick kiss on the lips. 

“No, thank you, soldier boy. Guess we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now, huh?” 

This thought had never occurred to Cloud. He didn’t think about it when they kissed, for he was caught in the moment. And this was just new to him on every level. 

“Um, yeah. I think we are… never had a girlfriend before.” 

Just barely stopping herself from pouncing on Cloud like a koala does to a tree, she pinched his cheek and twisted it around. 

“Aww, I almost forgot, this merc has never had a date before, even less, a girlfriend! Well there’s a first time for everything!” 

_ Is this real? Am I dreaming? Is Cloud really your boyfriend? The merc?  _

“I guess there is”, Cloud responded with a blush. His heart was racing, but at this point in time he was still having some trouble fully expressing how he was feeling about this, and everything that had transpired the past few hours. 

_ So this is how it’s like to feel this way towards a girl. I… like it. A lot.  _

“Well, I’m heading home now, Jessie. Get some rest.” 

Giving one final kiss on the cheek before he walked off, Jessie was once again caught in a trance at the sight of Cloud’s mako colored eyes. 

“You get some rest too, merc. By the way, wanna meet up tomorrow morning at Seventh Heaven?”

_ Say yes… say yes… say yes.  _

“Yeah, sure thing. I’ll be waiting there at 10 tomorrow morning.”

Jessie, delighted by his response, clasped both of her hands together. 

“Sounds great! See you then!”, she said as she went inside, shutting the door behind her. 

_ Huh… I wonder if-  _

“Psych!”, Jessie had said one last time, poking her head out from the door, then closing it for the night. 

Looking at her home for a second, Cloud began walking back to his apartment room, his tiredness coming to him little by little. He couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of happiness, a different type of happiness that he’d never felt before. It was almost as if he had started catching a feeling or two for the young and lively Jessie Raspberry ever since they met, and he never knew he did until their kiss. 

Arriving at his apartment, he opened the door, stepping in and taking his sword off of his back. 

Still thinking about the night he just had with Jessie, he sat on his bed, staring off into the corner of his room. 

_ Is this what it feels like to have feelings for another woman?  _

Finally feeling tired enough to hit the sack, he dropped onto his bed, and within minutes drifted off into sleep, the warmth of Jessie remaining. 

\-------------

With the door shut behind her, Jessie slid down to the floor, her back pressed onto the wall, and had a smile plastered on her face wide enough to cover the entire Sector 7 plate. She could contain her euphoria no more. 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE WE KISSED AND NOW TOGETHER!! AM I DREAMING? JESSIE, ARE YOU DREAMING? SHOULD I PINCH MYSELF?”, she shouted to herself, a little too loud perhaps. Upon pinching herself, she realized this was no dream. 

Jumping back up to her feet, she began dancing and skipping around her home. 

_ Soldier boy is all mine now.  _

After finally exhausting herself, she sat on her couch, relaxing. That’s when she realized her roommates had come back home, and were all staring at her with a blank expression, confused with what they had just seen. 

“Girl, are you alright? We thought you were about to get a heart attack!”

Jessie, shocked and caught off guard, panicked slightly as she never noticed them coming in. 

“Oh, heh heh, hey! Michelle! Kiara! Since when have, uh, you two been here?” 

Michelle and Kiara are Jessie’s roommates. They usually mind their own business when at home, never really snooping around on Jessie’s tools and gadgets which were usually laid out all over the place. But this time around, they couldn’t help but just ask what it was that she was celebrating about. 

“We came in bout’ a minute ago! What’s got you so lively, Jess? We never seen you actin’ like that!”, said Michelle. 

“Hmm, yeah, we never seen you so energized before! What’s going on Jessie? Got a boyfriend or something?”, asked Kiara. 

A blush creeping onto her face, Jessie’s mind was thinking at light speeds trying to come up with a way to not spill the beans. It wasn’t that she had anything against her roommates, but she tended to keep most of the things going on in her life private from them. She’d keep Cloud a secret, for now. 

“Ye- erm, I mean no. No, just went to go buy something! And I got it! Well, feeling kind of tired tonight, girls! So I’m going to go get some shut eye for the night. Goodnight!”, exclaimed Jessie, as she gradually made her way into her room, closing the door behind her. 

_ Phew, that was close.  _

Still thinking about her night with Cloud, she sunk into her bed and stared off into the ceiling. Up until now, she’d never felt this way before about a guy. She’s seen her deal of guys in the past, but none of them ever came close to making her feel the way Cloud has. 

_ Mr. Baby blues will be at Seventh Heaven tomorrow morning, waiting for yours truly. So I better get some rest.  _

Changing into her pajamas, she crawled into bed. Falling asleep with a smile on her face. 

\-------------

* Beep Beep * 

The small alarm clock next to his bed had gone off.

_ 9:05 _

Yawning as streaks of light shone through his window, Cloud’s eyes began fluttering open as he awakened from his slumber. 

After washing himself off in the shower and getting his clothes on, he couldn’t help but notice the rest he got last night was the best he’s ever slept in a while. And he knew all too well why. 

Making his way down to Seventh Heaven, he could’ve swore he saw a hunched over figure in a robe sitting in the corner, but he vanished as soon as he turned to look in his direction. 

_ Though I saw someone there, I don't know why it felt like I knew who it was.  _

“Good morning Cloud, how’d you sleep last night?”

“Morning Tifa, I slept pretty good. Better than usual actually.”

Tifa crossed her arms and cracked a small smile. 

“Must mean your date with Jessie must have gone really well then! I’m glad to hear that!”

Cloud was caught off guard slightly. 

“Well, I, erm, yeah it went well. She makes some good pizza. For free”, was all Cloud could muster in an attempt to stop his face from growing redder than it already was. 

“Just teasing, Cloud. I’m actually glad you went. Jessie seems to have taken a liking to you, ever since you got here she’s been more cheerful than usual. All this Avalanche stuff must be pretty stressful for her, even if she doesn’t show it. You’re helping out in more ways than joining them on their missions.” 

“Always for the right price”, he replied, subtly hiding his true feelings. Tifa’s known Cloud since childhood though, so she knew it was best to just leave it at that. 

Taking a seat at one of the round tables, Cloud sat there and looked down at his leather gloves, spacing out and thinking about Jessie. Even though he had opened up to her slightly last night, he still couldn’t shake off those same feelings of shyness. 

His peace and quiet then became interrupted by none other than Barret, leader of Avalanche. 

“Ey there, soldier boy! So ah’ heard you had a lil’ date wit’ Jess!”, Barret said in his usual loud and bombastic tone, giving Cloud a slap on the back of his blade. 

“Yeah, just for piz-”

“And I ‘erd you n’ Jess girlfrien’ and boyfrien’ now! Well ain’t that sum’! Nev’ took you as the type to be lookin’ fo’ a relationship, seein’ as how you’s stone faced as that plate up ‘bove us!” 

Face beet red, Cloud shot a look at Barret, but couldn’t keep it for long as Barret didn't actually say anything incorrect. He’d just have preferred if he hadn’t gone about and shouted it out. 

“You see! Like that! Always wit’ dat’ damn ‘motionless face! Well anyhow, Jess will be ‘ere in a few to see ya.” 

“I know. At ten.” 

Placated, Barret was about to take his leave, but stopped dead in his tracks and came right back to Cloud. 

“By the way, soldier boy, you best not go ‘en break Jess’s heart, ya hear?! She a real’ good girl, good heart, don’t go an’ mess that up! Or you’ll be ‘earin from me!” 

“Don’t need you to tell me that”, Cloud responded dryly. 

“Better not, spike ‘ead”, Barret replied as he walked out of the Seventh Heaven. 

“Don’t mind Barret, Cloud. He cares a lot about Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. He’ll look after them like they’re family. He means well.” 

“It’s fine. Kind of used to him a little now”, he told Tifa. 

“By the way, I’m glad you and Jessie have gotten to like each other. It’s good to have a connection like that sometimes. Don’t worry, I won’t tease you like Barret.” 

“Y-yeah. Jessie’s good to be around with. She makes some good pizza”, Cloud responded. 

“Good to hear. Oh, look who’s coming this way!” 

Then came in Jessie, in her usual armored attire. 

  
  
  


“Good morning Tifa, and good morning there, sunshine!” 

The butterflies had come right back to Cloud. 

“Good morning, Jessie. So I heard you and Cloud had a little date last night?”

It had suddenly dawned on Jessie, that she never took into consideration how Tifa felt about all of this. She’s Cloud’s childhood friend, they’ve known each other for years. And here she was, having had him over last night for a date just mere weeks after his arrival. 

“I… slept pretty good!”, Jessie responded, taking a seat with Cloud at the circular table. 

“That’s good. Well, I’m going to go wash some dishes now. You too let me know if you want a bite to eat.” 

“Sure thing”, Cloud said with the wave of his hand. 

Attention now redirected to Jessie, Cloud had noticed she’d spaced out and was staring off into his eyes. 

“Um… hey Jessie?”

Snapping out of it, she placed both of her hands on Cloud’s, eyes widening for a split second. 

“Oh sorry about that, merc! Still a little tired, woke up a few minutes ago and remembered we’d agreed to meet up here.” 

_ How long was I spacing out like that?  _

“I slept pretty good last night, better than I usually do”, said Cloud, wanting to keep some kind of conversation, since the sight of Jessie just observing him only amplified the butterflies in his stomach. 

“Aw, was it because of me? Glad to hear it! Guess I’m pretty special after all!” 

_ You are,  _ Cloud thought to himself. 

“Well, what do you wanna do? Take a walk?” 

Jessie placed her chin on her hand, thinking about it for a second. Now that he thinked about it, she realized that there were some things she’d like to ask him alone. 

“I’d love that! Why don’t you wait for me outside, I’ll meet up with you in a second.” 

“Sure”, Cloud responded, and made his way out the front door. 

Jessie then took a deep breath, exhaled, and realized there would be no more avoiding asking Tifa if she was fine with all of this. Cloud and Tifa have been friends since childhood, and she didn’t want her intimacy with him to cause Tifa to resent her. 

_ Alright, here it goes.  _

“Hey Tifa, are you still busy?”, she asked as she made her way to the dish area. Her tone came out a little quieter than she intended it to.

Tifa, drying the last of the dishes she’d just finished washing, placed them down on the counter next to her and faced Jessie with her soft, scarlet eyes. 

“Just finished washing the dishes, Jess. Did you want to tell me something?” 

Jessie couldn’t help but feel her stomach feel heavy as she was about to ask Tifa exactly what had been nagging at her ever since she woke up this morning. 

“Well… I just wanted to ask if you felt uncomfortable with Cloud and us being with each other, since you two have known each other since childhood. You’re my friend, Tifa. And I really don’t want you to feel a certain way becau-” 

Taken by surprise, Tifa placed her hands in front of her and began nodding her head in a rapid motion side to side. 

“Oh no Jessie, of course I don’t feel off or anything because of you and Cloud. We’re just childhood friends, that’s all. While we’re close, it’s nothing more than that.”

_ Is she saying that so I don’t feel bad?,  _ Jessie thought to herself. 

“Are you sure?”, she responded, suddenly feeling even worse about it. 

“I mean it. You know, Cloud seems to be a little more relaxed whenever you’re around now. Ever since he’s gotten here, he was always a little on edge. But you seem to be the only one who causes him to feel a little more at ease. As a matter of fact, when he got here and was waiting for you at the table, I noticed he kept peeking out the window to see if you were nearby.” 

Feeling a sense of reassurance, Jessie stepped in to give Tifa a hug. 

“Thanks, Tifa. I was just kind of afraid you’d start to feel bad about this.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Jessie. Now, don’t keep Cloud waiting for too long or he might just walk off on is own!”, Tifa teased. 

“Right! See you around!”, Jessie responded cheerfully as she half jogged out of Seventh Heaven. 

Cloud, who had been waiting near the front, met her gaze as she ran up to him and lunged onto him for a hug. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, soldier boy!” 

“It’s fine. So what direction do you wanna walk?”

_ It’s going to have to be down a path where we’ll have some privacy.  _

“Hmm, how about we walk down there? We can chat peacefully without much noise in the background that way”, she replied with a smile on her face. 

“Sounds good. Let’s mosey, then.” 

“Mister, what did you just say? ‘Mosey’?”, Jessie teased, as she’d never heard the word before. 

“Yeah, mosey. Never heard that word before?”, Cloud puffed. 

“Oh relax, I’m only teasing!”, she teased as she gave him a playful punch to the arm. Which was followed by her pinching his cheek with her right hand. 

“Gosh, you're so adorable, you know that Cloud?”

“I think so. You’re not too bad looking yourself, you know.” 

Placing her hand on her chest and gasping lightly, Jessie looked Cloud right in the eyes. 

“You’re making this girl melt over here, Cloud! Well anyways, there were actually some things I’ve been meaning to ask you since this morning”, she said, looking down at her hands as she began twirling around her fingers. 

“Ask away”, the mercenary told her. 

“You’ve never had anything with Tifa, right? Like you and me?” 

Jessie felt almost intrusive asking him this kind of question. It was Cloud’s business after all, and he’d known Tifa for far longer. Truly, she felt like she had no right to ask him about his past with her. But the question had been lingering on her mind for a little while already, and she wouldn’t feel at peace until she got an answer. 

“Nope. We’re just close friends, ever since we were kids. That’s all we are.” 

“Are you sure, Cloud? I just wouldn’t want to be that person that comes into your life when you already had feelings for someone else…”, Jessie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

_ Why are you sad? Stop jumping to conclusions!  _

Cloud, noticing this, got close to Jessie and placed his right arm around her waist, bringing her close and locking his eyes with hers. 

“Listen, Jessie. Tifa and I are just friends, we always have been and that won’t change. But you… you’re different. We’re more than friends now. Just like you told me last night.” 

At this very moment, Jessie felt like she was vulnerable and at Cloud’s mercy. Something about him always rang a bell within her, making her feel like he was so different and unique. Perhaps it was this moment between the two of them that was cementing this fact for her. 

Inching closer by the second, Jessie placed her hand on his cheek. 

“You promise?” 

Her question came to be answered with a tender kiss on the lips, as her eyes closed slowly. 

Upon the separation of their lips, Cloud and Jessie gazed into each other’s eyes, mako teal clashing with a deep brown. 

“I promise.” 

Both of them preparing to continue their walk, Jessie hooked her arm around Cloud’s as they continued down the path. 

“I guess under all that macho tough guy exterior, there’s a sweet and soft guy, huh? Only for my eyes to see.”

“I guess so”, Cloud said, his cool persona surfacing once again. 

Jessie giggled at just how quickly Cloud could alternate between the way he presented himself. 

_ But only I’m allowed the front row seats to his softer side,  _ she thought to herself. 

“You know, I probably haven’t been really clear about this but you’ve probably noticed by now, but I can act differently than how I’m actually feeling sometimes too”, Jessie said. 

“But you really make me feel safe enough with you to express myself without feeling like I’m being judged. And I really appreciate that, Cloud. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome, Jess.” 

“So, soldier boy, is there something you’d like to tell me?” 

“Um, yeah. You have, uh, really nice hair. It’s long. Separated on the front. Brown”, the exSOLDIER said, his words tripping over each other. 

“Still not a man of words? That’s fine, merc. Your kisses tell me everything I need to know”, she said as she wrapped her arms around his, as they continued walking. 

Both Cloud and Jessie could feel the passion they felt for one another growing by the second. A clash of personalities, the collected and stern mercenary, and the vibrant and outgoing member of Avalanche. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I decided to write this second chapter. Still getting the hang of how to make it flow good, hope you all enjoy it!


	3. Hazel

The walk down the path continued, Jessie holding onto Cloud’s arm, their warmth combining with each other every step of the way. In a very similar manner to when two magnets are polarized and unable to stick, until one of them turns and stick in an instant. 

At this juncture of all junctures, the battle hardened Cloud Strife had felt in a way he’d never thought would ever be possible. Happier than he could have ever dared to imagine. All it took was a single night with this vibrant and energetic woman, and it was as if a raging river had finally corroded the rocky exterior. 

The exSOLDIER himself had some questions he’d like to ask Jessie as well, and he felt comfortable enough to ask them now. 

“Hey Jessie, there was something I wanted to ask you now that I think about it”, Cloud told her as their walking pace slowed a little. 

“Sure thing, ask away, Cloud!”, she beamed. 

_ How do I ask her without her taking it the wrong way? _

“So, the way you’ve been comfortable with me ever since we met, and how we had a date last night, you… haven’t had dates like that with other guys before me, right?”

There was a moment of silence, and Jessie had begun pondering this question. She indeed has always been kind of a flirt, but she never took things to the next level with other guys like she did with Cloud.

“Well there have been these guys that have come and gone, but it was just so I could get something I needed. Like a salvaged piece of equipment or metal. But I never invited them on dates like I did with you, Cloud”, Jessie responded while remaining close to him, but she couldn’t help but notice a look of concern had come across his face. 

It had suddenly dawned on Jessie that perhaps her flirtatious mannerisms may have gotten Cloud to think she may have been some sort of harlet at one point. 

_ Is he… jealous?  _

“Oh, alright. How’d that go?”

“It wasn’t too hard! As soon as I had gotten what I needed, I’d usually just stop talking to them.”

The mercenary did not look all too content with that answer, but he didn't want to feel like pressing her further. That’s when Jessie stopped dead in her tracks, standing in Cloud’s way, facing him with her crystalline, auburn eyes. 

“Is something wrong, merc?”, Jessie asked him with a hint of worry. 

_ I better make sure he doesn’t get any wrong ideas about me.  _

“No. Not at all, why?” 

“Aw, are you really going to tell me you’re not feeling a little jealous there, soldier boy?”

Caught off guard, Cloud didn’t even realize she would notice his look of concern. He’d done so well to mask most of his true emotions, but Jessie was someone who had come to make him feel comfortable enough to show how he truly feels. 

“Alright, just a little. But it’s nothing really, Jessie. I understand you did what you had to d-”

In a fraction of a second, Cloud was interrupted by a tight hug from Jessie, her face buried in his neck just like on the night she invited him over for pizza. He returned the favor by bringing his left arm around her waist. 

“I promise it was just to get mechanical material for the mission… I didn’t mean to make you feel jealous.”

His chest filling with an extraordinary amount of warmth, Cloud had felt reassured by her words. He knew she was being sincere, there was no reason for her to lie to him, and there was no reason for him to overthink it either. 

“I believe you, Jessie. Don’t worry about it, I mean it”, he told her as he held her in his gaze. 

“Sounds great! Thank you for understanding, Cloud. Just had to make sure you weren’t getting any wrong ideas about me”, Jessie said cheerfully, holding both of her hands together. 

With a kiss to her forehead, which sent a jolt of fuzziness through her back, the both of them continued their walk. 

It was then, that they both heard some footsteps off in the distance behind them, with voices calling to them. 

“Cloud! Jess! Wait up!” 

It was none other than Biggs and Wedge, both had picked up their pace to catch up with them. Once the distance was closed, Biggs had taken a moment to catch his breath, while Wedge was practically wheezing. 

“Well well, look who it is”, Jessie said sarcastically, placing both of her hands on her hips, cocking it to the side. 

“How’s it going Jess, and what’s up Cloud, taking a long walk like two love birds?”, Biggs teased with a smile. 

“Doing good”, Cloud replied. 

Biggs, now having grown familiar with Cloud’s stoic persona, was content with his usual plain response. 

“Hey bro, has she screamed at you yet?”, Wedge asked with a tease. 

“What did I say about calling me ‘bro’?”, Cloud puffed. He didn’t really mind Wedge, he was a good guy at heart, but something about being called “bro” just seemed off and strange to him. 

“‘Screamed’, what do you mean scream, Wedge? Huh?”, Jessie told Wedge as she flicked him on the forehead.

“Ow, that hurt!” 

“Well anyways, what brings you two boys here?”, Jessie asked them both. 

“I had spotted you guys walking down the path a little while ago, so Wedge and I decided to just drop by and say hello.”

Biggs then turned to Cloud, and back to Jessie. 

“He’s a real keeper, huh?”

“Umm…”, Cloud muttered with a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. 

“Sure is! We had a little date last night, and now he’s my knight in shining armor!”, Jessie exclaimed as she jumped onto Cloud’s side and clung on. 

“Yup, boss told us all about you two! Good luck with her Cloud, she can be a real big handful sometimes!”, Biggs said as he crossed his arms in approval. 

“Oh, what’s that supposed to mean?”, Jessie said as she crossed her arms.

“Oh? Nothing at all Jess!”, Biggs responded as he took a few steps back. 

“Thought so”, she said with a smirk. 

After a few seconds of laughter among Wedge and Biggs, everything fell silent as a sound emanated from someone’s stomach. 

* brrrhmm urmm * 

“Oh boy, looks like I could go for another serving of Tifa’s dishes!”, Wedge said as he rubbed his stomach in circular motions.

“Geez Wedge, wouldn’t surprise me if you could eat one of those monsters that show up around here every once and awhile!”, Biggs teased as he took light pokes at Wedge’s round and rather chubby gut. 

All three laughed, and Cloud had given up a little smirk as well. 

“Woah, are you smiling bro? Around us? Didn’t think I’d ever see that happen again ever since we went up to the plate!” 

Cloud quickly hid his smile as soon as Wedge pointed it out, but it was too late. Although he didn’t admit it, he had begun to grow used to being around them. While Jessie had drawn out a softer side out of Cloud, Wedge and Biggs were good people and he’d started growing fond of them, despite not showing it. He’d even started getting used to Barret’s loud and rant prone antics, regardless of his frequent anti Shinra tirades. 

“Uh… you said you’re hungry right? Let’s mosey back to Seventh Heaven.” 

Everyone looking at each and nodding in approval, they all decided to start heading back. 

“Sounds like a plan to me!”, said Biggs.

“That’s a good idea bro!” 

“What did I say about calling me th-” 

Cloud was cut off by Jessie taking hold of his right hand and pulling it towards Seventh Heaven’s direction. 

“You heard him boys, let’s mosey!” 

As all four of them took their walk heading back towards Seventh Heaven, they had all begun developing an appetite of their own, Cloud and Jessie especially. 

“Guess I’m a little hungry after all”, Cloud said as he turned to Jessie, who had been holding his right hand all along the way. 

_ I’ve been hungry ever since I woke up now that I think about it, guess I didn’t notice because all I could think about was meeting up with Jessie. _

Just then, a gurgling sound had also come out of Jessie’s stomach. 

“Looks like that makes two of us!”, Jessie said with a smile, with the merc returning a smile as well. 

Getting closer to Seventh Heaven, Cloud took notice of a small market not too far off. He’d spotted what seemed to be an assortment of items, and that’s when an idea popped into his head. 

“Hey Jess, you three go on to Seventh Heaven, I’ll join you in a minute.”

“Sure thing! Don’t keep this girl waiting too long!”

“Of course”, he responded with a smile. 

Content with his smile, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge made their way into the bar while Cloud walked over to the little market. Once he was taking a look at what was for sale, he began pondering deeply to himself. Pondering what to buy Jessie. 

Cloud, although still inexperienced with women, felt like he wanted to buy Jessie a small gift. He truly enjoyed the pizza from the other night, and he wanted to pay her back in some way. Scratching his chin, he had set his sights on a ring which glimmered and stood out more than anything else he’d seen there. 

He grabbed the ring, examining it closely. 

The ring itself was cool to the touch, made out of a rare metal, it seemed. It was a hazel brown like color, very similar to Jessie’s eyes. When light shone on it, its reflective surface gave off a bright, red color. 

“Interested in the ring, young man?”, the owner of the little shop had asked Cloud, adjusting his glasses. The owner was a short, elderly man. Dark skinned, but with wild, white hair that reached his shoulders. 

“Yeah, how much is it?”

“About two hundred gil”, the owner said proudly. 

Cloud paused for a moment, and took another look at the ring. The price didn’t matter to him in the slightest. 

“I’ll take it”, he said as he reached for the gil in his pocket. 

“Excellent choice, young man! You may be wondering why just a simple ring costs that much. Well, let me tell you, sunny boy. This ring is actually crafted from a very rare variety of mythril ore. Only a few pounds of this variety of the ore have been mined”, the old man said as he opened his makeshift gil register. 

The old man continued on about the ring, looking closely at it. 

“They say that a ring made of this brown mythril is usually gifted to a woman a man is set to fall into a never ending love with, a love so profound no one but the couple may come to fully understand.” 

Perplexed by the old man’s words, Cloud handed him the gil and tucked the ring into his pocket. 

_ It’s almost like he knows what I’m buying the ring for, but how?,  _ Cloud thought to himself. 

“Oh ho ho! But that’s just something this old geezer heard years ago! Thank you for shopping here, young man! Let me introduce myself, my name is Kuroyasha. I’m a merchant that just happens to make my rounds around the slums while pawning off various items I’ve come to possess. Perhaps you may never even see me again after today! Oh ho ho ho!” 

“Name’s Cloud, see you around”, he said as he nodded his head, and made his way towards Seventh Heaven. Something about the merchant seemed a little off and particular to Cloud, but he disregarded the thought seconds later.

Walking through the front doors, Cloud went to go take his seat with Jessie. Wedge and Biggs had sat at the table a few feet away. 

“Hey there, honey! Took you a minute!”, Jessie told Cloud with a wink. 

“Was just, um, looking at something. I’m starving.” 

“I am too, we all are. But not as much as our good friend Wedge right there, that’s for sure”, she said as Wedge gave Cloud a thumbs up with a grin. 

“Hello everyone, any here’d like a bite to eat?”, Tifa asked as she came from the back of the counter and greeted everyone. 

“You know it, Tifa! May Cloud and I please get the oatmeal with beef strips on the side?” 

“Absolutely, Jessie. Anything to drink?” 

“I think I’ll have some scotch, how about you, merc?”

“I think I’ll just have something light, surprise me, Tifa”, Cloud told her. 

“Alright, food will be set in ten minutes guys!”

“Can’t wait!”, Jessie said as she rubbed her stomach. Not a second later, Tifa went over to the next table to ask Biggs and Wedge what they’d like to eat. 

“I enjoyed our walk”, Cloud told Jessie, as he was twirling around his thumbs and wondering how he’d give the ring to her. 

“So did I! Couldn’t even notice I was hungry till Biggs and Wedge joined us, but can you blame me when I’m with this hunk?”, she responded as she pinched his cheek. 

Cloud responded with a smile and held Jessie’s right hand for a moment. Truly, he was doing this to see which finger he’d guess she’d want to wear the ring on. 

“Mister, are you looking at how small my fingers are compared to yours?”, Jessie said playfully as she snatched her hand away. 

“I, uh…” 

“Psych!”, she said with a wink.

Not long after, Tifa had come over to their table with their plates of food and drinks. Cloud’s mouth began to water, for his appetite had once again reminded him that he didn’t eat since he had woken up earlier. 

“Here you go, both of you enjoy your meals!”, Tifa said with a smile and a nod. 

“Thanks Tifa, the smell is amazing as always!”, Jessie said cheerfully as she took hold of her fork. 

“Thank you Tif”, Cloud said as he started blowing at his food to avoid burning himself. 

Jessie stopped for a second to observe Cloud. Carefully separating his food, he began blowing at it as the steam radiated off of the plate. He continued this pattern for about a minute, and Jessie couldn’t help but feel her heart melt. The exSOLDIER was experienced and ready for battle at all times, yet there were so many innocent aspects of him that made him stand out to him. To her, it seemed like everything Cloud did was done carefully and thoughtfully, even if others couldn’t see past his tough guy facade. 

Cloud had sensed Jessie watching him, and raised his gaze from his mouth watering meal to her observant, hazel eyes. 

“You know merc, sometimes I can’t help but notice everything you do is so cute! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone blowing to a plate of hot food like you do”, Jessie said as she began to dig into her plate. 

“What do you mean by that?”, Cloud asked, a little confused by what she was implying. 

“For a merc, you sure make sure to cover the little things, like not burning your mouth”, she responded while she took a big bite out of her freshly cooked beef strips. 

“Hey, at least I don’t eat like a wild wolf”, Cloud teased, something he’d rarely ever done. 

“Well, excuse me, soldier boy!”, Jessie said with a gasp, holding her hand to her chest in over dramatic fashion. Cloud was aware of Jessie’s love for acting, and he had come to enjoy her antics.

Ironically enough, Cloud had begun digging into his plate like a wild animal as well, the plate of food having his undivided attention. Jessie couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of it. 

“Just like when you had my Midgar Special! What were you saying about me eating like a wild wolf there, merc?” 

Managing to crack a smile amidst his feeding frenzy, Barret came walking through the front doors. 

“What’s up, boss”, Biggs told him from his table. 

“‘Sup, Biggs. I see all you guys enjoyin’ yo meals right now. That’s good.”

“Daddy!”, Marlene said as she came out running onto Barret’s lap. 

“Hey there, girl! What you up to today?”

“Just playing with my toys in the back!”

“Thas good, Marlene, why don’t you go an’ clean up yo room while I take care of some business, ok?” 

“Okay daddy!”, she responded as she ran back to her room. 

A smile planted on his face, Barret put his sunglasses back on and made his way towards the table Cloud and Jessie were sitting at. 

“Well well, look what we ‘ave ‘ere, two love birds eatin’ wit’ each other. How soldier boy treatin’ you, Jess?”

“He’s treating this girl as best as can be!”

“Better be. Anyways, aft’ you done eatin’, I need you to come down the lift, need to talk to ya ‘bout ‘some regardin’ the next mission.”, Barret said as he rubbed off a smudge off of the gun on his arm. 

“Sure thing!”, Jessie replied. 

“Sound good, an’ what the hell, merc? How you finish eatin’ so damn fast? Coulda’ sworn you was just halfway done when I came in here”, Barret said with a slight look of surprise on his face. 

“What do you mean?”, Cloud questioned, a little confused as he himself didn’t notice how fast he had been wolfing down his plate. 

“Eh nev’ mind. Guess there’s always some’ new with ya.”

Barret proceeded to make his way to the lift which led to the hidden downstairs area where Avalanche usually held their meetings. The lift itself was easy to miss, just a simple pong machine which would only activate when pulling a level concealed on the machine’s underside. 

That’s when a thought came to Cloud’s mind. 

“If you don’t mind me asking Jessie, after all this Avalanche stuff is done and over with, what’s next?”

This question had completely blindsided Jessie. She’d never thought of this before. Her initial motivation when she joined Avalanche was out of her anger and hatred for Shinra after her father had fallen into a coma due to mako poisoning. When she began seeing that the planet itself was at stake because of the reactors, her determination to be a part of change drove her to fight on. 

But for what was to come after all was said and done, was what never came to her mind. 

_ I’ve… never thought of this before. What does he mean by that? Does he want to make plans for us in the future?  _

“Oh, well, I actually don’t know. Avalanche has been all I’ve known since I came down here to the slums. Good question though, merc! What about you? Any plans while you’re here in the slums?”

Like the brunette had been caught off guard, the mako eyed mercenary was as well. Truthfully, aside from the bombing mission of reactor 1, he would hang around the slums while occupying himself with jobs. Nothing more than that, really. That changed, however, when Jessie had continued her stride for his attention. 

_ Well, she sure is making me enjoy my time here more than I thought I would.  _

“Uh… not sure myself, actually. Just hang around with you”, was all Cloud could say. 

“Awww, that’s so sweet of you, Cloud! Little old me is the only thing you can think of when we take down Shinra? You’re so adorable, you know that?”, Jessie said as she bent over the table to peck Cloud on the cheek. 

“Woah guys, you need to get a room!”, Wedge teased as he downed his second serving of food. Jessie shot a look at him. 

“Well you need to get a punch!”, she said as she made a fist in her hand, raising it at him half menacingly. 

After a second, they all laughed in unison. 

“Be right back, going downstairs to see Barret. Mind waiting for me?”

“Sure”, replied Cloud. 

“Great! I’ll be back in a few”, Jessie said as she placed her hand on top of Cloud’s before making her way to the lift, descending in a matter of seconds.

Cloud had gotten comfortable in his chair and taken out the ring he bought for Jessie from his pocket, moving it about his fingers, wondering how he’d give it to her. 

\-------------

The lift descending down to the basement where all of the Avalanche meetings were held, Jessie walked over to the round table she had put together a while back, taking a seat on one of the stools. Barret had been preoccupied chucking darts until he noticed her. 

“‘Bout time. Gonna need you to fix us up some new IDs, nev’ know what trickin’ ass security Shinra might ‘ave in store fo’ us, ‘specially ev’ since we blew reactor 1 to hell. Think you can do it, Jess?”, Barret asked as he paced around momentarily. 

“Sure thing, I am the technology expert here after all!”

“That’s what I like to hear! Would be nice if you could get em done by ‘morrow night, so we can start plannin’.” 

That’s when a question came to Jessie’s mind. 

_ It would be great if I could somehow get Cloud in on this mission.  _

“Hey Barret, think we can get Cloud in on the mission? He did help us last time, we could really use that extra hand with his mercenary skills.” 

Barret puffed out a breath of air, taking off his sunglasses and setting them on the table. He began polishing the gun on his arm with a moist cloth. 

“Huh! We’re fine without em this time, Jess. We jus’ needed him fo’ some prep’ ration on what to expect from those reactors.” 

Jessie, standing up from the stool and standing right in front of Barret, was determined to change his mind. 

“But what if security is beefed up because of what we pulled last time? He’d be a really big help! Please?” 

“Listen Jess, my pockets ain’t made of gil. I know damn well soldier boy gonna ask for a big ol’ price and that gil ain’t gonna be around fo’eva!” 

Realizing Barret was probably about to break out into an hour long monologue about how much he hates Shinra, Jessie accepted his answer reluctantly. As stubborn as Barret is, she knew all too well trying to convince him to change his mind was nearly impossible. 

“Fine. I’m heading back up now. See you tomorrow, boss”, she said as she walked to the lift, feeling defeated. Those feelings vanished almost instanously when she remembered she’d soon be back in her hero’s presence.

\-------------

Walking back towards the table Cloud had been sitting at when they first arrived, Jessie noticed upon ascending back to the main floor that he had been holding something in his gloved hand which glimmered from the light hitting it. 

Cloud immediately realized she had just come back up from the basement area and nearly fumbled the wrings out of his hands. In quick fashion, he hid the ring back in his pocket and pretended like nothing happened. This wasn’t going to stop Jessie from inquiring about what she saw seconds before closing the distance. 

“The love of your life is back, noticed you were looking at something there!” 

Not desiring to give her the ring now and even more unsure about how he would give it to her, he made his best attempt of maintaining his cool composure and playing it off as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. 

“Oh, um, I was just making sure I had my key to my apartment room on me”, he said nervously, tripping over his words ever so slightly. This only made Jessie’s suspicion and curiosity grow further. 

“Oh, just a key, huh? Can I see your key then, merc? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a key that shines like what I saw”, she prodded at the exSOLDIER. 

With every fiber of his being, Cloud took out his key in a slower than normal manner, using those valuable split seconds to figure a way to angle it in a way that it would shine as brightly as the mythril ring. With a gulp, he showed the key to Jessie. 

“See, j-just my key. Shines just like you saw”, he said, hoping she would fall for it. 

_ What could he possibly be hiding?,  _ she thought to herself. 

“Alright soldier boy, sureee I believe you”, she teased as she bumped him in the chest lightly with her fist. Each bump sent a warmth through Cloud’s body. 

_ I’ll give it to her later.  _

“Well I guess we should-”

“Mosey?”, Jessie finished. 

“That’s right”, Cloud responded with a smirk. 

“Aw, I stole your line! Don’t worry about it though, you’ve already stolen this young lady’s heart”, she said as they walked out of Seventh Heaven, arm hooked around his. 

Stepping out of the front doors of Seventh Heaven, Cloud noticed that the merchant who had been there not too long ago had vanished. A little too quickly as well, as his set up market seemed to have taken him perhaps an hour or two to arrange. Nevertheless, his attention was refocused to Jessie. 

Jessie was distracted herself, her eyes locked onto Cloud’s pocket, her curiosity still not quelled. 

“Jessie?”

“Oh? Uh, sorry soldier boy I was just dozing off for a second.”

“No problem. Do you think we can meet up again later? I have to take care of a job Tifa asked me to do, I need to deliver something.” 

“Aw don’t leave me yet, merc! How about you walk me back to my place first?” 

“Of course”, Cloud responded. 

For the duration of their walk, Cloud’s mind was racing. 

_ Alright, I’m going to give it to her once we get to her place. That’s right. Right there.  _

“This girl sure feels safe when her hero is by her side”, Jessie whispered into Cloud’s ear, sending a pleasant chill down his back. 

“That’s what I’m here for”, he remarked. 

Not long after, the both of them had arrived at the front of her home. This was the moment for Cloud to give Jessie the ring. 

“I had a really good time today, Cloud. Thanks for taking that walk with me earlier, it really takes my mind off all of this Avalanche stuff”, she said as she stood just two feet away from the exSOLDIER. 

“You’re welcome. You’re the reason I woke up an hour earlier today.” 

“Aw, such a sweetheart! Woke up earlier just for yours truly.” 

“Sure did. So what’ll you be up to right now?”, asked Cloud. 

“Well, Barret asked me if I could whip us some new IDs, next mission might be trickier than before. Especially after we did a number on the first reactor.” 

Thoughts of the first reactor’s explosion came to Jessie’s mind. She didn’t anticipate the blasting agent she had used before to cause an explosion big enough to cause collateral damage to innocent bystanders’ homes. They were thoughts she often tried not to dwell on. After Cloud and the boys had helped her get a weaker blasting agent a few nights ago, she’d all but tried pushing those thoughts away whenever they’d resurface. 

Cloud noticed a downed expression forming on Jessie’s face, quite a rare occurrence and very easy to notice due to how much it contrasted to her usual, cheerful mood. 

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he decided to question her on what was the matter. 

“Everything alright?” 

“It’s just… sometimes, I think about the explosion from the first reactor and how much collateral damage it caused, Cloud. Some people got hurt and lost their homes. People that have nothing to do with Shinra...”, she said, voice uncharastically sad. 

“Listen to me, Jessie. It was a mistake. No one expected the explosion to be worse than we had thought it would. It’s not your fault. And I don’t think it’s your fault”, Cloud said in attempt to cheer her up. 

“You really... think so?” 

“I know so.” 

Her face brightening back up, Jessie hugged Cloud tightly. Cloud returned the favor, holding her close into his chest. 

“Thanks for helping me feel better about it. I really do appreciate it”, she said as she remained in his chest, taking in the smell of whatever deodorant a mercenary seemed to use. 

“You’re welcome, Jess. Also, I uh, wanted to show you something…”

Their hug separating, Jessie looked at him in curiosity and excitement. 

“Hmm, and what would that be?” 

Cloud reached into his pocket, his face changing to a light red hue, and held the ring out in front of him. Jessie gasped lightly, as she had now realized what it was that the mercenary had tried his damned best to hide from her. 

“I, um, wanted t-to, uh, pay you back for the pizza from the other night. Really thought you’d like it, really brings out eyes, and uh, hair. Hope you like it”, Cloud said as he began scratching the back of his head. 

“Cloud… you didn’t have to…”

Jessie, speechless, took the ring and slid it on her right ring finger. She moved it around in different angles, admiring it’s brilliant shade of hazel. 

“I LOVE IT!”, Jessie beamed at Cloud like she had never done before and jumped on him, legs wrapping around his waist and arms around his neck. Nearly taken off his balance, he stood his ground and rubbed his hands on Jessie’s back. 

“Glad you do. Saw it and thought of you.” 

“You really know how to make a girl’s day, don’t you, merc? No one’s ever gotten me a gift like this! I really hope you didn’t spend too much on it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that”, Cloud said with a full smile. Something about Jessie being extremely happy just seemed to rub off on him, full smiles on him were already a rare occurrence. 

Dropping herself back down, Jessie didn’t waste any time in lunging at Cloud with a long kiss to the lips. 

“You’ve really made my day, Cloud. I’m never taking this ring off now!” 

“Glad to hear, it looks great on you.” 

“Well, I think I’m going to head inside now to work on those IDs. And I’ll make you a new one too!” 

“Sounds good to me”, said Cloud. 

Giving a smile and clasping her hands together, Jessie looked down at her ring again, and stepped into her home. 

“See you later, merc! Good luck on that delivery!”

Nodding, Cloud decided to take his leave, as Jessie closed the door behind her. 

But it opened once more, just as he turned to walk towards the delivery pick up. 

“Psych!” 

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so this is the first fic I've ever written, ever. I spent about a week writing it, working on it for about an hour or two here and there. I'd very much appreciate any feedback, I'm not really that great of a story teller in general but I'd gladly read feedback to improve on it over time as I keep adding on chapters. Possibly even rewrite it entirely. Nevertheless, please enjoy the read!


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